Best Books of 2012

American Dervish by Ayad Akhtar
A poignant debut by former Wisconsinite Ayad Akhtar featuring complex characters growing up as Muslim-Americans in Milwaukee.  A great book club choice.

Oddly Normal: One Family's Struggle to Help Their Teenage Son Come to Terms With His Sexuality by John Schwartz
An extraordinary, well-written book on a topic on which we sadly find too few reads.  Essential reading for everyone.


The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
Siddhartha meets Forrest Gump in this delightfully quirky romp through the English countryside.  

 The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty.  An intriguing look at old-school Hollywood silent film star, Louise Brooks, and her chaperone on their trip to New York City.




Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher: the Epic Life and Immmortal Photographs of Edward Curtis by Timothy Egan.  Born in Whitewater, Wisconsin, he went on to become the famous photographer of American Indians, at great personal cost.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.  Like everyone else, we couldn't put down this thrilling page-turner.

Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple.  Always on the lookout for humor, this one had just the right amount of satire and quirkiness to make our list.




Quiet: the Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain.   At least one-third of us are introverts, and there's enough here to bolster our cause.  Even extroverts will enjoy this one.

 Yes, Chef by Marcus Samuelsson.  An homage to our world melting pot as well as an ode to familial love, this one is simple delectable.

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan.  A gleeful and exhilarating tale of global conspiracy, complex code-breaking, high-tech data visualization, young love, rollicking adventure, and the secret to eternal life.  Oh, and did we mention that the cover glows in the dark.


Don't Ever Get Old by Daniel Freeman.  Meet octogenarian, retired memphis cop, Buck Schatz, and his frat-boy grandson, Tequila.  LOL funny, we can't wait for the sequel.

The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers.  A painful beauty, rendered all the more gut-wretchingly raw via a juxtaposition that pits linguistic lyricism against the atrocities of war, "Yellow Birds" deserves the gold star amongst all our glorious Top 12 of 2012 contenders -- and its a debut no less...